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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
SHAPEABLE MOLDING
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2015/132470
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The invention relates to a shapeable molding (1) having a portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface (2), the portion being manually bendable, and the portion extending as a continuous unit in the longitudinal direction of the molding, as well as means for detachably fixing the molding to the mounting surface. The means for detachably fixing the molding (1) to the mounting surface (2) comprise one or more suction cups (4) at the bottom of the portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface.

Inventors:
LYYSKI PETER (FI)
Application Number:
PCT/FI2015/050139
Publication Date:
September 11, 2015
Filing Date:
March 05, 2015
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
SELEKTA HENKILÖSTÖPALVELUT OY (FI)
International Classes:
E04B1/64; A47K3/00; E04F15/02; E04F19/02; E04F21/00
Foreign References:
US20080305325A12008-12-11
US5829071A1998-11-03
US20050236172A12005-10-27
US20080066821A12008-03-20
CN104250947A2014-12-31
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
BERGGREN OY AB (P.O.Box 16, Helsinki, FI)
Download PDF:
Claims:
Claims

1. A shapeable molding (1 ) having a portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface (2), the portion being manually bendable, and the portion extending as a continuous unit in the longitudinal direction of the molding, as well as means for detachably fixing the molding to the mounting surface, characterized in that the means for detachably fixing the molding (1 ) to the mounting surface (2) comprise one or more suction cups (4) at the bottom of the portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface. 2. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in claim 1 , characterized in that the molding portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface is made of a plastic material and/or a rubber material.

3. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the molding portion (3) formed to protrude from the mounting surface has a uniform cross-sectional shape along the entire length of the portion, the shape of the cross-section preferably being hollow and/or opening towards the bottom of the portion.

4. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in claim 3, characterized in that the molding (1 ) comprises at least one end piece to be fixed to an end of the portion (3) of the shapeable molding of the invention formed to protrude from the mounting surface in order to cover the inside of the cross-section of the portion.

5. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in any of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the molding (1 ) is a water barrier in a shower room or some other wetroom.

6. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in any of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the molding (1 ) is a removable wire concealer.

7. A shapeable molding (1 ) as defined in any of claims 1 ~ 4, characterized in that the molding (1 ) is a removable wire duct,

Description:
Shapeable molding

The invention relates to a molding, which molding is usable on the floor of a shower room, for example, to restrict the spreading of the shower water on the floor, the molding comprising a manually bendable portion protruding from the mounting surface, as well as means for detachably fixing the molding to the mounting surface. When taking a shower, it is typical of bathrooms, especially of modern bathrooms meeting the requirements of accessibility, that the shower water is spread across a large area on the bathroom floor. Because the falls of the bathroom floor are extensive and the falls are not necessarily made right, or, because the drain is positioned problematically, the spread shower water is not always automatically removed but often requires separate actions to be taken.

The shapeable molding of the present invention allows an area of a shower room to be confined by a removable and shapeable water barrier to effectively prevent the water from spreading within the area of the bathroom floor. The molding of the invention is also useful for other purposes to provide a removable protrusion on an appropriate mounting surface, which mounting surface substantially not only can be a horizontal floor surface but also a vertical wall surface, for instance. The molding of the invention has a portion formed to protrude from the mounting surface, the portion being manually bendable, and which portion extends as a continuous unit in the longitudinal direction of the molding, as well as means for detachably fixing the molding to the mounting surface, the means for detachably affixing the molding to the mounting surface comprising one or more suction cups provided at the bottom of the molding portion formed to protrude from the mounting surface. Because the suction cups allow the molding to be easily affixed, in the shape given thereto, to the mounting surface, and to be detached therefrom, the molding is not a permanent hindrance to the access to the confined area for persons using a wheelchair or a similar aid.

To achieve the deformability, the portion of the shapeable molding of the invention formed to protrude from the mounting surface is preferably made of any suitable plastic material and/or a rubber material. Alternatively, the deformability, especially the bendability, of the portion can be achieved by giving it a specific structure, such as a scaly or accordion-like structure.

The portion of the shapeable molding of the invention formed to protrude from the mounting surface preferably has a uniform cross-sectional shape along the entire length of the portion, the shape of the cross-section preferably being hollow and/ or opening towards the bottom of the portion.

The shapeable molding of the invention can preferably comprise at least one end piece to be fixed to an end of the portion of the molding formed to protrude from the mounting surface in order to cover the inside of the cross-section of the portion. Thus, it is possible to close one end or both ends of the molding to prevent water or other material from entering the cross-section in applications where one end or both ends of the molding are not fitted against a surface parallel to the cross-section. An end piece can also be fixed to an end of the portion of the shapeable molding of the invention formed to protrude from the mounting surface in order to tightly fit the end of the molding against a surface, such as a wall surface, substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface. This end piece is preferably provided with an elastic hem portion, similar to the portions of the shapeable molding to be fitted against the mounting surface, to seal the portion against the perpendicular surface. It is also possible to use separate corner pieces together with the shapeable molding of the invention to provide acute angles in the shapeable molding assembly. These corner pieces are preferably fixed to the ends of two separate shapeable molding lengths, thus combining them into a whole.

Preferably, the shapeable molding of the invention can also be provided with lights, such as LEDs, or Velcro tape, to improve the detectability of the shapeable molding, for instance.

Preferably, the shapeable molding of the invention is manufactured by-the- yard, i.e. in the form of a continuous and uniform unit that can be cut into desired lengths depending on the application. Preferably, the shapeable molding of the invention is a water barrier useful in a shower room or some other wetroom, but it is also useful in other applications, such as where the mounting surface is not a conventional substantially horizontal floor surface but a vertical surface, such as a wall surface. The shapeable molding of the invention, especially the floor-mounted variant thereof, is also very useful as a removable wire concealer and/duct in offices, for example, because the strong suction cups hold the molding securely in position, the wires are conveniently hidden by the hollow structure of the molding, and, if needed, the molding is easy to take off and move, the installation not leaving any marks of wear.

The features of the shapeable molding of the invention are described in more detail in claim 1. The dependent claims disclose preferred features and embodiments of the invention. In the following, the invention will be explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a shapeable molding according to the invention, and

Figures 2A to 2C are schematic top views of the structures of a shapeable molding according to the invention. The shapeable molding 1 shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 1 comprises a portion 3 formed to protrude from the mounting surface 2, the portion 3 being adhered to the mounting surface by suction cups 4. In this embodiment, the suction cups 4 are fixed within the bottom area of the portion 3 by a suction cup rod 5 and reinforcements 6 of the portion 3.

The reinforcements 6 make the portion 3 more rigid and oppose the deformation thereof and preferably only are present in appropriate locations along the length of the portion 3. The edges 7 of the portion 3 to be fitted against the mounting surface are made elastic, i.e. elastically shapeable, so as to tightly fit the edges of the portion 3 against the mounting surface 2 while the molding 1 is fixed in position by the suction cups 4. Herein, the elastic deformability of the edges 7 refers to that the edges are bent or flattened out against the mounting surface 2 while the molding 1 is adhered to the mounting surface and to that the edges substantially resume their initial position once the molding 1 is in a detached state.

In this example, the portion 3 formed to protrude from the mounting surface 2, as well as the edges 7, are made of a plastic and/or rubber material, the properties of the material thus providing the elastic deformability of the edges. The portion 3 made of a plastic and/or rubber material also allows the molding 1 to be manually bent in order to confine an area of a desired shape on the mounting surface 2. Figures 2A to 2C are schematic top views showing examples of the structures of a shapeable molding according to the invention, allowing the molding to be bent.

Figure 2A shows a bent state of a molding having a uniform cross-section along the length of the molding, the bendability solely resulting from the material that the molding is made of, which, in this case, is a plastic and/or rubber material. This embodiment substantially corresponds to the embodiment shown in cross-section in Figure 1. Figure 2B shows a structure of the shapeable molding of the invention, consisting of separate support pieces 21 joined together either by a single integrated flexible shell piece 22, or, by more than one shell pieces connecting the successive support pieces together. In this embodiment, the suction cups used for affixing the molding are seated in the support pieces and hold, when adhered to the mounting surface, the support pieces in a vertical position on the mounting surface. The flexible shell piece or pieces, which enable the molding to be folded in an accordion-like manner in this embodiment, can be made of any suitable plastic film or a water-repellent fabric material, for example.

Figure 2C shows a structure of the shapeable molding of the invention, consisting of pieces 23 joined together in a row and conically-shaped relative to the mounting surface. In this embodiment, the pieces 23, except for their hem, can preferably be elastically unshapeabie, but the joints between the successive pieces allow the molding to be bent. In this embodiment, the joint area between the successive pieces 23 is preferably covered by any suitable plastic film to prevent water or other material from entering the molding.

In addition to the embodiments shown in Figures 2A to 2C, separate acute- angled corner pieces can be added to the molding of the invention to create sharp corners. These corner pieces are fixed to the ends of two separate lengths of the shapeable molding of invention, the corner pieces then combining the molding lengths into a whole. The corner piece can be made of any suitable rubber or plastic material, for example, and the size of the angle defined by it may vary. The corner piece can also be structured to allow the size of the angle defined by it to be adjusted.

As for the embodiments shown in the figures and explained above, it should be noted that the examples are not intended to restrict the invention to any extent. Many apparent ways of modifying the examples are within the knowledge and capability of a person skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is solely restricted by the features set forth in the accompanying claims.